Redimensioning in Port Chester, NY

Vol. 12, No. 19
SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO, PROVINCE OF ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE
November 6, 2014
Provincial’s Calendar
November
6-9
Visitation with Salesian
community in Montreal
11-12 Provincial council meeting,
New Rochelle, N.Y.
13
Board of trustees meeting,
Salesian Missions, New
Rochelle, N.Y.
14-18 Visitation with the
Salesian community of
Belle Glade, Fla.
19
Office day
20-24 Visitation with Salesian
community in Champaign, Ill.
Birthday Celebrations
M MENDL
NEW ROCHELLE — Cardinal Dolan had lunch with the History Club at Saleisian
High School and engaged them in a lively discussion of contemporary politics and
faith, as well as of Don Bosco’s period. See story on page 4.
Redimensioning in Port Chester, N.Y.
On Sunday, November 2, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop
of New York, announced a number of changes that he is making
as part of a pastoral planning process called Making All Things
New.
As the cardinal mentioned in his announcement, the goal of
Making All Things New is to help parishes in the archdiocese
fulfill the mission that Christ has given to the apostles and the Message from
Church. This pastoral planning process has been under develop- Fr. Provincial
ment for the past five years. Recently, it has accelerated its pace,
culminating with last Sunday’s announcement. We Salesians were very attentive to
this announcement since its implementation will affect the Salesian community, Don
Bosco’s mission, and the Salesian Family in the village of Port Chester.
As announced at all of the Masses in Holy Rosary and Corpus Christi parishes
last Sunday, Cardinal Dolan has decided that there will be only one parish in Port
Chester serving the people in that area. This one parish will be administered by the
Salesians of Don Bosco. In addition, there will be a second church building that will
serve as a worship center (celebration of the Eucharist and sacraments) to serve the
November
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Bro. Paul Chu
Fr. Michael Chubirko
Fr. John Nazzaro
Bro. Gerard Harasym
Fr. Paul Bedard
Fr. Timothy Zak
Fr. Joseph Occhio
Fr. George Hanna
Bro. David Iovacchini
Pray for the Sick
Fr. John Basso
Fr. Peter Granzotto
Bro. Bernie Zdanowicz
Brian Brennan, Fr.
Thomas Brennan’s
brother
 Hedwig Paczkowski, Fr.
Vince Paczkowski’s
mother
 Josephine Reynolds, Fr.
Anthony D’Angelo’s sister
 Carmen Perez, bookkeeper at Don Bosco Prep,
Ramsey
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needs of the people in Port Chester. This decision is to be
implemented by the end of August 2015.
Certainly, there are many questions that arise in everyone’s mind when reading that announcement. The Salesians of Don Bosco and the archdiocese together will be
working out the details of these changes over the next
eight months. The cardinal listed some of these details as
the location of the one parish and worship center; the
name of the parish; what will happen to the parishes
merging into that one parish. In addition, this discernment
will involve discussions on the future of those ministries
sponsored by the four parishes in Port Chester: Corpus
Christi-Holy Rosary Elementary School, Don Bosco
Community Center, Caritas, Day Laborer Resources, and
St. Mary Cemetery.
For us Salesians, the decision of Cardinal Dolan is an
opportunity to radically redimension our Salesian presence and ministry in Port Chester in accordance with the
renewing spirit of the Making All Things New process,
the charism of Don Bosco, and the needs of the people in
that village. With this decision of Cardinal Dolan, the Salesian community in Port Chester and the St. Philip Province have the opportunity to implement all of the recommendations we have received over the past five years with
regard to redimensioning our communities, ministries, and
works in accordance with Don Bosco’s charism.
We are well advised, however, to admit that the next
eight months of planning will not be easy or quick for our
Salesians in Port Chester and the St. Philip Province. We
as a province community pledge to these confreres are
prayers and support.
Last week, I conducted the provincial visitation of the
Salesian community in Port Chester. During those days of
visitation, I was drawn to reflect on the many graces that
have come to us since the founding of that work 110 years
ago. These graces still come to us today through the mem-
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bers of this community, the Salesian Family, collaborators, parishioners, students, and young people in these parishes, youth center, and social services organizations. This
Salesian work is presently the oldest foundation in the St.
Philip Province. By God’s grace, it will lead the St. Philip
Province in a thorough process of redimensioning for the
furtherance of Don Bosco’s mission over the next 110
Thomas A. Dunne, SDB
Provincial
ANNOUNCEMENT
On November 9, 2014, Fr. Richard Alejunas, SDB,
will terminate his participation in the incardination
process with the Archdiocese of New York. Fr. Richard began that process on July 1, 2014. Since then,
he has been serving the parishes of St. Clement and
St. Michael on Staten Island as parish administrator.
On Tuesday, November 11, Fr. Richard will return
to the St. Philip Province. For the rest of the current
academic year, he will be assigned as a member of
the Provincial House community in New Rochelle.
Published weekly by the Salesians of Don Bosco for the territory of Canada and the Eastern U.S.A.
Copyright © 2014
Salesian Society, Inc. - Province of St. Philip the Apostle
148 E. Main Street, PO Box 639, New Rochelle, NY 10802-0639 USA
Very Fr. Thomas Dunne, SDB, Provincial
Editor: Fr. Michael Mendl, SDB - [email protected]
Publisher: Fr. Dennis Donovan, SDB - [email protected]
Send news items to [email protected]
When reading on a computer, iPad or other device, click on photos or links to be transferred to other media.
SALESIANS
OF DON BOSCO
November 6, 2014
Consultation for the
new provincial
Photos of the assembly
on October 31 in Stony
Point, N.Y., taken by Frs.
Dennis Donovan and
Mike Mendl.
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Cardinal Dolan brings his enthusiasm for Don Bosco to Salesian High
by Fr. John Serio, SDB, and Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB. Photos by Fr. Mike Mendl.
NEW ROCHELLE — Anticipation turned to reality in
New Rochelle on Wednesday,
November 5, as the long-awaited
visit of Cardinal Timothy Dolan
to Salesian High School occurred. The visit was longawaited in two senses: the invitation to the cardinal to celebrate
Mass with the school community
and visit with the students and
faculty was issued a year earlier,
and it was the first visit of a New
York archbishop to the school
since Cardinal Cooke came in
1971.
His Eminence was greeted at
the school entrance by John Flaherty, principal, veteran faculty member Lorraine
Danza, and a delegation of office staff and students.
After riding in a Salesian school bus to Holy Name of
Jesus Church, where Salesian’s school Masses are
celebrated, Cardinal Dolan was greeted again by a
delegation of students. When he entered the church,
all heads turned as the congregation strained to get a
look at their archbishop.
During the Mass in honor of St. John Bosco’s
200th anniversary of birth, Cardinal Dolan spoke of
his great devotion to St. John Bosco, first inculcated
by his second grade teacher, Sister Mary Bosco. He
spoke enthusiastically of the contributions of the Salesians to the life of the archdiocese and of his joy at
meeting Salesian High School alumni all over the archdiocese, living out many careers and vocations, including as
diocesan priests. He noted the presence of three SDB seminarians who are Salesian alumni: Deacon Mike Eguino,
Bro. Steve Eguino, and candidate Mike Agovino. He
thanked the teachers for their service and had them stand,
which earned them a hearty round of applause from the
students.
In his homily proper, the cardinal related that Don
Bosco wanted his boys “to live well in order to die well”–
to live this life in a manner that prepared them for the life
of eternity with the Lord. The joy of this life, he said, is
only a hint of what God has in store for us in the next life.
He said that St. John Bosco’s genius was to prepare young
people for eternity.
At the end of Mass, Student Council President Dan
Seda welcomed His Eminence and offered him gifts of
Salesian apparel, a copy of Fr. Mike Mendl’s history of
the start of Salesian work in New York (The Zeal of the
Salesians Is Just the Thing), which the cardinal asked Fr.
Mike to autograph, and a monetary gift which the cardinal
November 6, 2014
said he would donate to the Inner City
Scholarship Fund. Of course, the cardinal
offered the students (and faculty!) a cardinal’s holiday—which received applause that
exceeded “hearty.”
Frs. John Serio, Bill Ferruzzi, Matt DeGance, Dennis Donovan, Dominic Tran, and
Marty Biglin (Holy Name’s pastor) concelebrated.
After greeting the students and staff of
Holy Name School, the cardinal returned to
the Salesian campus and toured the main
building. He entered the library and some
classrooms to interact with students and
teachers, and ate lunch with members of the
History Club. During lunch he questioned
students and teachers about the previous
day’s general elections and the role of religious ministers in the political life of the
country. He called political service noble
and urged the application of one’s principles
to politics. He cited the example of Don
Bosco in 19th-century Italy’s political and
religious situation.
The cardinal used his conversations with
students not only to show them the friendly
and joyful visage of the Church but also to
praise the education they’re getting at Salesian and offer more catechesis. For example,
in a junior class that is reading and discussing The Red Badge of Courage, he spoke
Top, Cardinal Dolan shows Sr. Barbara Wright’s students his allegiance to
the St. Louis Cardinals.
Center, the cardinal interacting with
Scott Cerasuolo’s junior English class.
Bottom, he also spoke the directors of
the Salesian mission offices of Turin,
Bonn, Madrid, New Delhi, and New Rochelle, and they were delighted to speak
with him.
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about the role of conscience in the story and linked conscience to natural law. On a lighter note, he let a freshman class with a New York Mets
banner on the back wall know that he remains a St. Louis Cardinals fan
(and flaunted some of the cardinal red of his mozzetta).
The members of the G-5 mission directors group (see story, p. 7)
also came by for a short conversation and blessing by His Eminence.
The cardinal lauded the Salesians’ missionary works, relished a conversation in Italian with the two visitors from Turin, and happily recalled
meeting Bro. Jean Paul Muller in Rome a few weeks ago.
It is not every day that the local ordinary comes to spend time with
our community. He seemed really to enjoy his time with our community, wanted to know everything that he could about us, and evidenced his
love for Don Bosco and devotion to Mary Help of Christians. Multiple
times Cardinal Dolan invoked the Help of Christians in prayer and
called out, “Viva Don Bosco!” We are grateful for the time he spent
with us and will look forward to being with him again at the Graduates
Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the spring and for the priestly ordination of Salesian alumnus Michael Eguino, SDB, class of 2002, on June
27, 2015.
To view the complete photo album, click here.
Student Council President Dan Seda
made a presentation to Cardinal Dolan
after Mass.
Men in Formation
Bro. Paul Chu (Jerusalem)
A few years ago while on an SDB retreat, I took the advice of Blessed Philip
Rinaldi and meditated on Don Bosco’s dream of age nine (http://saintbosco.org/
books/bosco05). It is the dream that started his vocation and the Salesian movement. This dream is our “Salesian gospel.”
As I was putting myself into the scene, I saw Johnny Bosco in the field with
the boys in the loving presence of Jesus and Mary. I was listening to the words
exchanged between all of them, as narrated by the older Don Bosco (writing his
Memoirs).
It was an extraordinary dream. After I’ve heard and talked about it so often, however, it seemed so ordinary to
me. Before, I always considered it as Don Bosco’s dream, as a special grace that only he received from God. Truthfully, I was a bit jealous that none of my dreams was that special.
Then a surprising thought occurred to me: it is not only Don Bosco’s dream, but my dream as well! As the Beloved Disciple represents all Christians in St. John’s Gospel, so too Johnny Bosco represents every one of us Salesians. Jesus and Mary are speaking to me too, not just little Johnny! Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream became reality
because it was the hard-fought dream of many Americans as well. So, too, Don Bosco’s dream became reality when
so many Salesians embraced it as their own. Don Bosco’s vocation is not only his, but it is also mine. God speaks to
me through Don Bosco’s dream, and so He speaks to all of us Salesians.
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D DONOVAN
Congregation’s major mission officers,
known as G5, met this week
By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB
NEW ROCHELLE — The annual meeting of the
directors of the Salesian Congregation’s five major
mission offices took place in New Rochelle, November 3-5. Taking part were (above, left to right) Fr.
Tom Dunne, president of Salesian Missions; Fr.
Clemens Schleirmann of Bonn; Bro. Giampietro Pettenon of Turin; Nelson Penedo from Bonn; Dr.
Alessia Andena from Turin; Fr. Guillermo Basañes,
general councilor for the missions; Fr. José Antonio
San Martin Perez from Madrid; Bro. Jean Paul Muller, treasurer general of the Congregation; Fr. M.C.
George from New Delhi; and the hosts of the meeting,
Jaime Correa, Bro. Bruno Busatto and Fr. Mark Hyde
of Salesian Missions.
In the photo on the right, Fr. George, Bro. Jean
Paul and Fr. Guillermo admired the memorial plaque
honoring Fr. Edward Cappelletti at the entrance to
Salesian Missions.
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Mary Help parishioners reach out
to the needy
by Elisa Figueroa
TAMPA — For the past two years Mary Help of
Christians Parish’s Outreach program has brought members of the Tampa parish to tougher areas of town to feed
the homeless and pray with people on the fourth Saturday
of every month.
On most of these Saturdays just a handful of parishioners get together in the morning and prepare food, toiletries, clothes, Bibles, and rosaries, then grab the Outreach
signs and load into our bus. The group goes to a Catholic
Charities building parking lot and sets up shop. The idea
is to bring the love of God to people in need. The group
spends time with people and spreads the word of God.
Almost everyone whom they meet wants to pray with
them.
The group always sets up three signs with messages that say, “Free Food,” “God Loves You!,” “Stop and
Pray.”
Pope Francis encourages every member of the Church
to be a missionary. He also encourages our parishes not to
be stagnant, but to be places that go out to serve our
brothers and sisters in need. We at Mary Help are proud
that this group has continued this project monthly without
interruption for over two years. GC27 encourages the Salesian Family to re-envision our mission in new ways to
extend our outreach to the poorest in our community. We
hope that at Mary Help of Christians in Tampa we can
continue to do this.
Salesians, staff haunt and entertain
during annual event
EAST BOSTON — On Thursday, October 30, the
Salesian Boys & Girls Club of East Boston held its annual
Halloween Party and Haunted House. Over 260 young
people attended a trick or treat at 4:00 p.m. Club members went around the club receiving candy; then games,
food, prizes and treats followed. After 5:30 p.m. club
members and their parents were treated to a haunted
house in the gym, sponsored by the Salesian Boys & Girls
Club Teen Program called Torch Club. About 400 people
toured the haunted house, which was a tremendous success.
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Twelfth report on religious
freedom in the world
ROME (ANS) — Respect for religious freedom is diminishing in the world, and Christians are the most persecuted religious group. This is what emerges from the 12th
Report on Religious Freedom, published in Rome on November 4 by the organization Aid to the Church in Need
(click on the photo at the right for the full report).
The report analyzes the main events from October
2012 to June 2014 and shows the degree of religious freedom in 196 countries, with reference to violations suffered
not only by Christians but by all religious groups. “It is the
most accurate source on the subject of religious freedom
and the basis for understanding the world in which we
live,” said journalist Roberto Fontolan, moderator of the
event at which the report was presented.
“If we listen to the daily news, we have the impression
that acts of violence committed in the name of religion are
on the increase. Unfortunately, this report shows that our
impressions are correct,” said Peter Sefton-Williams,
chairman of the editorial board of the report.
During the period examined in the report, changes
were detected in 61 out of 196 countries, but only in six
cases were these for the better. There are 116 countries
with restrictions on religious freedom (high, medium, or
worrisome), i.e. 60% of the countries in the world.
Asia remains the continent where religious freedom is
most violated. There is an increase of fundamentalism not
only in Islamic countries, but also in Hindu and Buddhist
ones. In Africa, the most worrisome trend of the past two
years is undoubtedly the growth of Islamic fundamentalism.
Some countries of the Middle and Far East are becoming ever more mono-confessional, where the dominant
religious group tries to restrict minorities. The recent
statement by the Islamic State in Iraq is a clear example of
this phenomenon.
In Latin America, obstacles to the freedom of religion
are almost always caused by openly secularist or atheist
political regimes that limit the freedom of all religious
groups, regardless of their beliefs.
But even in North America, there are cases relating to
conscientious objection. In the Old World, especially in
Western Europe, aggressive atheism and religious illiteracy are on the increase among the political classes, and
there are alarming episodes of anti-Semitism.
Every year “Aid to the Church in Need” supports
about 6,000 projects in more than 140 countries worldwide. “We believe that we must continue to draw attention to the fate of the oppressed and those who are persecuted on account of their faith, be they Iraqis, Syrians,
Nigerians, Muslims, Christians, or followers of other religions. Anyone who turns a blind eye betrays the persecuted and endangers freedom,” said Johannes von Heereman
Zuydtwyck, president of the international board of Aid to
the Church in Need.
Further insights on the subject are available in various
languages at www.religion-freedom-report.org.
For additional reporting, click here.
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Pope Francis to venerate the Holy Shroud
and honor Don Bosco
(ANS - Vatican City) - At the end of his general audience on November 5, Pope Francis informed the faithful,
“I am pleased to announce that, God willing, on June 21
next year, I will go on a pilgrimage to Turin to venerate
the Holy Shroud and honor St. John Bosco on the bicentennial of his birth.” A press conference on the same subject took place the same morning in the Holy See’s press
office.
The conference was attended by Archbishop Nosiglia
of Turin, who is the papal custodian of the Shroud; the
mayor and deputy mayor of Turin, Piero Fassino and Elis
Tisi; and Dr. Marco Bonatti, communications officer of
the Committee for the Exposition of the Shroud in 2015.
Fr. Francesco Cereda, vicar of the Rector Major, represented the Salesians.
According to Archbishop Nosiglia: “The display of the
Shroud in Turin’s cathedral has special significance for
two reasons: it draws attention to the world of young people and to people who are suffering. It was with these issues in mind that Pope Francis granted the solemn exposition, which is linked to the jubilee for the bicentennial of
St. John Bosco’s birth.”
As papal custodian of the Shroud, the archbishop also
explained the theme of the 2015 Exposition, which incorporates a Gospel passage: “No Greater Love” (John
15:13). He commented, “Attending the exhibition of the
Shroud does not mean contemplating a dead man but rather a living man who leads to a greater love.”
The logo is a symbol and guide to the exposition. It
connects the words of the motto with the Face on the
Shroud. The final logo was made free of charge by Agenzia Testa, working on proposals and ideas of young people in Turin.
On November 6 there will be another press conference in Turin, during which Archbishop Nosiglia and Ms.
Tisi will outline the booking system for visits, the new
Website, the communication campaign, and the next
steps relating to the exposition.
SDBs participate in realignment of a town’s churches
by Fr. Tim Zak, SDB
PORT CHESTER — For the past four years, the
archdiocese of New York has been engaged in a process
of pastoral planning called Making All Things New. As
part of this process, the Cardinal recently made some decisions regarding the merger of a large number of parishes. Here is a quote from his letter to the four parishes of
Port Chester:
“The Salesians of Don Bosco will provide for the pastoral care of all the faithful in Port Chester. The four parishes will merge so that there will be a main parish church
and another church at which Masses and the sacraments
will continue to be celebrated. These are to be determined
and fully discussed with the Salesians and the archdiocese.”
The Cardinal is realistic — this will not be an easy
transition. His recent blog and also the press release of
November 3 explain the process of pastoral planning in
greater detail. You can find them at www.archny.org.
There are many questions we have about the how the
SDBs, Salesian Family and the archdiocese of New York
will implement the cardinal’s decisions. Meetings with
the parish staff, the parish council, the finance council,
with members of the Salesian Family and with the pastors
have already been set up.
The cardinal reminds us to have absolute trust and confidence in the Lord. He also reminds the faithful to keep
before them the objective of Making All Things New as
concrete steps are taken toward merging: to become active, vibrant communities of faith.
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Ebola out of control,
80 new cases every day
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
(ANS) — The Salesians in Sierra
Leone appeal for urgent help:
“There are 80 new cases every day,
and there are only 500 beds for
treatment, in two centers in Freetown and another in Kenema. Ebola
is completely out of control.”
In Sierra Leone there have been
more than 3,700 cases of infection
and more than 1,200 deaths. “There
are neighborhoods in quarantine, but
the people don’t comply with these
measures because food isn’t reaching them, and they’re desperate to
feed their children,” says Bro. Lothar Wagner, SDB, a
missionary in Freetown.
In addition, “cases of infection are occurring in places
that previously were free of Ebola. Fifteen people died in
Tikonko (Bo),” says Fr. Jorge Crisafulli, provincial of the
province of English-speaking West Africa. “These areas
are very poor, with no medical supplies and no knowledge
of the disease or how to prevent it. “
The Salesians in Sierra Leone are also concerned about
the situation of children who have recovered from Ebola
or been orphaned by it. “There are more than 1,560 children in quarantine because they’ve lost their parents or
have been rejected by their families. They’re children
who’ve experienced trauma such as the loss of family
members, have been discriminated against, separated from
their families, and in some cases accused of being the
cause of evil,” says Fr. Crisafulli. “It’s not easy to start a
center for children orphaned by Ebola.”
In Liberia, the Salesian missionaries report that “the
situation is bad, despite the arrival of international aid and
the fact that the number of beds has increased.” Ebola has
caused more than 2,700 deaths in Liberia. The Salesians
have focused on “prevention and the distribution of food
and medical supplies, which is the most urgent requirement. But we’re also concerned about the situation of
thousands of children and youths who are losing the
school year, and for the people who cannot cultivate the
land.” Hence the Salesians are working to launch a project
soon to create home gardens and another for distance
learning.
In Guinea, Ebola is on the rise again. There are new
cases and over 900 deaths. “No one talks about Ebola; it’s
taboo. Education to increase awareness needs to be done
carefully, as there have been cases of volunteers being
attacked by the community while they were spreading
information to prevent the disease,” explained the missionaries in the area.
Bro. Wagner appeals to the international community
for help in fighting the epidemic. “Only with international
help can we escape. Please send beds, laboratories, specialists, doctors, nurses ... in order to avoid a global epidemic,” he says.
To assist in the fight against Ebola through Salesian
Missions in New Rochelle, click on this link:
https://www.salesianmissions.org/ebola
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Opportunities abound for those called to volunteer
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